The Traditional Family
by TOPAZZ
Summary: Spot, Jude, Lint, and Topazz share Haunted...the thing that brings them together and makes them an interesting life. REALLY REALLY GOOD! I PROMISE.


"_I love you. You love me. We're a happy family_." -Barney   
SPOT and LINT. When they first met they were soaking each other. Which was weird, because they were both newsies for the same place, Brooklyn. Every time Brooklyn would go against another one [territory] disturbing them, Spot and Lint would fight each other. One year Spot gave Lint a bloody nose. Lint broke one of Spot's ribs, picked him up and threw him. Not to mention the cuts and bruises they gave each other. Spot was just eight then. Like me. Lint was much older. Jude was still a newsie and a good one at that. He was the leader of the Manhattan newsboys, right before Jack took over, then Jude left. Weird though cause Jude originated from Brooklyn. It's like he disowned it or something.   
Anyway. How did Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bowery come together so we would all meet?   
Brooklyn and Manhattan had already met because they joined forces to soak another territory, of which I will not speak of because well they made-up. Jude found it interesting that a couple of Brooklyn kids were beating each other up! As he fought with all his force he noted this and later, at the end of it all, he went up to them and they talked, cracked jokes. Since then, they always talked of nothing really . Jude's newsie name was Brazen, but mostly Jude.   
We were all hanging out at the park. Off Course. They were launching a hot air balloon that day, so mostly everybody was there. I was standing in line to see the hot air balloon fly. While I ate this really good hot dog, for which I had been saving my money all month long for. Let's just say I wasn't a "good" newsie. A kid passed by, while I was looking up at the stars, and swiped it from my hands right as I was to take a bite. All I saw of the kid was a blurr passing by. But determined I to make his life hell for taking my sandwich, ran after the boy with all my might. I was a little bully as a kid well as a littler kid. I kinda lost sight of him as he did this really fast criss-crossing of the best chicken tasting contest tables. He jumped over barrels, he went through hoops. But I cut the boy off and closelined him. He greeted the ground with his back to it. And to my surprise as I checked his hands for my sandwich, it was gone. "He must have thrown it." I said quietly.   
The boy was getting up. "Ouch. Why'd ya do dat?" The boy was taller and older. But I sure could take him.   
"You took my sandwich!" I said.   
" I didn't take yer sandwich. Ya crazy lunatic." He insulted me.   
"Sure you did but you must have thrown it before I could have it back! Do you know I saved my money all month for it?! I hardly ate and had enough money for-"   
He caught me off "-Dat fella has a sandwich." He pointed out.   
I looked over and the kid had just looked over when Lint said that. And had quickly caught his pace and ran so fast that I gave up beating him. I started to cry. To ball my eyes off, didn't anybody feel sorry for me?? I was pathetic.   
The boy [Lint] was still siting there rubbing the back of his head, what had broken his fall.   
I owed him an apology. "I'm sorry." I said between sobs.   
He got up and walked off. He must have been a Brooklyn boy, all Brooklyn boys were jerks. I watched him walk off to a corner. And surprisingly enough hung his head and threw up all over the grass.   
I wiped away my tears it was real silly of me to cry in the middle of the park and anyway I felt bad he threw up. So I stopped crying and when I looked up to go apologize some more, I found he was already getting help. There was a tiny boy by his side, he was patting his back as he was almost finished depositing of all he'd eaten in a lifetime. It was quite cute, actually. So I went over there. "I'm sorry." Lint and Spot both looked at me, except for I didn't know their names yet. Spot gave me a dirty glance. Lint looked up at me and said "You already apologized."   
"Yeah but you didn't accept my apologies."   
"And I still don't."   
"C'mon I'll do anything. I just feel so bad. How can I make it up to you?" I was kind of an annoying child. I was desperate to be heard and liked.   
" No, kid. What's yer problem ya tink ya can jist-"   
Spot hit him on the chest to get his attention. Then he whispered something into his ear and Lint whispered something back. Then Lint turned to me, and Spot ran off somewhere. Lint said. "Okay kid ya wanna make it up to me. How 'bout a dare? Me and a couple of guys are going to a haunted house at midnight-"   
I interrupted. "-But I'll get in trouble with Tracks if I'm not in on time. He'll take my free week away."   
"Yer from the Bowery? I should've known kid. Well if yer too chicken..." He said. All of a sudden the short boy was back with another older guy. They knew what we were talking about cause the new guy said. " C'mon kid . I thought you were all tough , just cause ya close-lined Lint here."   
I bet the short kid told him everything. I hated the short kid already he was a little spy.   
  
* * * * 

As we walked there it was a little chilly this summer night. The new kid Jude, but I didn't know his name yet, was carrying a candle inside a candle holder. And the short dirty blonde kid held another one. It scared me enough to be all alone with three guys, two older than me. It's like they had something against me for making Lint, their buddy, throw-up. I said I was sorry. Anyway I felt cool being with them, though. They were cool guys, I think. "What's your name, again?" I asked the guy I close-lined.   
"Lint. To you."   
"Ohh." I moved on. "What's your name?" I asked the guy with the brown hair which wasn't the close-lined guy, or the little boy who spyed.   
I think he rolled his eyes and said. "I'm Jude or Brazen. Pick one. And this is Spot." He refered to the little spy boy.   
"Yeah. And he's the Leader of the Manhattan newsboys." Spot told me.   
"Were'r your boys den? Why aren't ya with them instead of here?" I asked the leader of great Manhattan.   
"I left Jack in charge to take 'em back home. Problems?" Jude responded. Then went on talking.   
"Yeah I read in the paper that this place has been haunted for a century. They said it was passed down to clans of witches. And even a vampire lived here. No one wants to go in there they say it's cured, either that or it's bad luck. But I say "screw 'em" I have to see it for myself." Jude said   
I was officially freaked out. Since we were a few feet away from the front door and all.   
The short kid put his lantern down to open the door with both hands. He turned the knob with both hands, it clicked open and shreeked. He picked up the lanterned and held it up as we began to enter the room. Inside it was hollowed, we entered slowly. I was right behind the short boy. Cause the deal was I had to go in first. In the living room was a creepy painting of a lady. But it's frame was beautiful.   
"Whoa. Did her eyes jist move?" Lint suggested.   
I jumped back. And avoided looking at the painting. Whatever the lady had to say, I didn't wanna hear it.   
I wanted out. So as I started to head for the door, Jude said. "Hey I think I found the book of witchcraft." He picked up a book from the bookcase.   
"Lint can we go now? I came in and came in first. Are we friends now?" I asked.   
I think the guys held in a laugh. " No." He said " We have to go up stairs. To each and every room...and then we're done."   
"Promise."   
"I promise." He said kinda funny heading up the stairs taking Jude's lantern.   
I followed him upstairs. We reached the top. It was even scarier than the bottom section. Lint opened a door . "Hmm." he said. "Nothing here." We went to the next door and before I could take a look Lint started screaming. I started screaming without knowing why but just that his screaming scared me. I ran down the stairs. Jude and Spot were down there. Still checking out stuff I guess. They got scarred with both our screaming and they started running too. Spot dropped his lantern right as we were at the door. And I accidentally kicked it over, as I was trying to run out. Jude dropped the book of witchcraft, I guess it freaked him out. And when Lint ran down the stairs he tripped on the book of witchcraft and went tumbling down on his face with the lantern rolling off his fingers. Enough to join the other one burning away. Lint managed to get out.   
We were all outside now. "It really is haunted huh?" I asked.   
"That's what they call it Haunted." Jude said.   
"Haunted is burning down!" Lint pointed out. He understood what Jude said completely wrong. I think what Jude meant was that haunted is what they called a house that was haunted. A house with spirits sorrounding it and bugging is called a haunted house. What Lint thought is that they called this house Haunted in particular. Or maybe it was me that understood Jude wrong. Spot was kinda quiet.   
"I Know!" Said Jude. "They're gonna have our asses for this." He touched his forehead.   
"Maybe we could put it out. Before anyone finds out!.. There's gotta be water here somewhere." Spot mumbled to himself.   
"Yeah right!" Lint said.   
Spot walked around the house area. "A well, guys!! There's a well here! Guys help me!" He called. The guys ran and I followed. Spot found a well with a bucket and a rope. We couldn't see well except for the flames that lit our way. They rolled the bucket down and rolled it back up, carried it out and threw it at the fire. It wasn't nearly going out. "We need something more!" Lint was upset and pissed off.   
"Maybe we could sneak in and get some bowls or something from dah inside of dah house." Spot suggested.   
"We?!" Lint said, then calmed down. "You two go!" He reffered to us, Spot and I. "You can fit through windows and stuff. Bring anything you find strong enough to carry water .Hurry!" Lint said to Spot and me both.   
Spot and I ran in the house through a window, the kitchen one. We couldn't find any bowls except for China bowls so we brought those anyway. We went up the stair and took drawers from the chests and brought those too. We had enough to carry out. So we made our way. We were out. And Lint asked us if that was all we could find, obviously but I thought I could do better. So while they reeled Spot down in the bucket holding a drawer to fill it, I ran in through a window.   
I looked around a whole lot till the flames got to my lungs so bad. But I just kept looking I was about to pass out. Finally I got smart and picked up the treasure chest looking thing from an upstairs room, dumped out it's stuff which was mostly blankets and ran out the window with it.   
"Kid. Where'd you go??" Lint asked.   
I walked to them with the treasure chest looking thing, I hoped was durable. I was coughing so hard I go nauseous and fell to the ground on my knees. The guys took the chest and Spot filled it on the bucket as he was reeled up and down, up and down, up and down, again again and again. Until the fire was off. It was still smoking for a little bit after they put it out. It was around 2:00 in the morning or should I say at night. We were all laying on the grass exhausted. Watching the remainder of the house. It really wasn't that bad. The door was totally gone and a piece of the side of the stairs to the living room. The rest was fine. Seems like the door took so much work to burn that it saved us time.   
"You guys wanna sleep in there tonight?" Jude asked   
"No." I said "It's haunted."   
"No it's not. We was pulling yer hair." He reponded.   
"Besides, You went in there by yerself. Rememba?" Lint said.   
Spot was already asleep. He was the one filling the water. And the boys just carried it out and put out the fire.   
"Whateva." Jude said, "I'm sleepin in dere." He got up from the grass and headed there.   
Lint got up and picked up Spot. As if Spot didn't weigh anything, he probably didn't. He took Spot inside and I ran right behind. Because I didn't wanna be left alone outside.   
Jude and Lint brought from the upstairs a ton of blankets, two mattresses and two pillows. Jude put a blanket up where there was a door, somehow it managed to stay the way he left it hanging. The rest of the blankets were set on the mattresses and on the couch were Spot was already asleep. We each got a pillow. Lint and Jude shared a mattress and one pillow. I had a mattress and a pillow to myself. And Spot had the couch cushions which were probably way better then any pillow.   
"Hey Kid, that was some quick thinkin' wit the treasure chest. What's yer name?" Lint asked me, when I was tucked in all ready to sleep. He was tucked in as well, but kinda lay there talking.   
"Topazz."   
"Topazz, huh? Yer forgiven for close-linin me." He reached out his hand and we shook hands. Everybody else was asleep. I felt special and I felt so cool. I was only eight then and Lint was eighteen. 

Lint's kindness was only subtle. I learned that the hard way. He didn't care about anybody, cause nobody cared about him. The only people who really did care were Spot and Jude. I didn't know the guy -YET. 


End file.
